Don't Change
by FirstCome-FirstStaked
Summary: When Jen's father left them to follow his career, she was left to live with her mother in New York. After years of minimal contact and a rocky relationship, Jen is shipped off to Castle Rock to live with him. But what happens when she meets the towns gang of delinquents, and more importantly a certain blonde haired bad boy, Ace Merrill?
1. Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

A/N - This story is dedicated to one of my very good friends CastleRockGirl. She has been there helping me and guiding me to make this story come alive and I can't thank her enough for inspiring me. Megan, this is for you. Reviews are much appreciated.

The trees rustled softly in the cool breeze, the sun setting over the hills in an array of pinks and oranges. She looked up towards the sky, and sighed deeply. She was going to miss this place, she was going to miss it more than words. Jen let her eyes scan the garden around her, reminiscing her childhood when she was happy and everything was good. She sat silently, drinking in the happy thoughts of when she was a child, the cool crisp autumn air filling her nose. Her toes digging softly into the green grass below her feet.

"Jen!"

Her thoughts were soon broken by the sound of her mothers voice calling her from the porch.

"Come on! We're going to be late! The new tenants will be here soon!" She called. "I'll be waiting in the car!"

Jen didn't turn to look over her shoulder, but took one more longing glance at the garden surrounding her, capturing it in her mind like a snapshot. She finally found the strength to lift herself up and picked up her feet, turning towards the back porch. She pulled her feet along and up the steps, before heading inside. She slipped on her shoes and lifted the small duffle bag from the end of the stairs, her eyes following each step till they reached the top. She pulled her free hand from beside her and let it rest gently on the railing.

"Jen!" Her mother called again, whining from the car. "Come on! I'll be growing daisies by the time you come out of there!"

Jen sighed again, and pulled herself away from the steps to head outside where her mother was waiting. She opened the passenger side door and slipped inside, glancing over at her mother in the front seat. "Oh honey, you can't be sad and sullen forever. It's just a house. Just imagine the new things waiting for you, it's a good thing you're going to live with your father."

Jen sighed again, her mothers words of 'encouragement' were far from encouraging to her. She scoffed softly. "Sure."

Her mother turned to her and chuckled. "It'll all work out."

"Jen."

Her eyes opened, and she looked at her mothers face peering down at her. She sat up slightly, and put her hands up to rub her eyes, yawning softly before taking a glance out the window. It was dark outside, and the only light came from the various Windows sitting pretty against the houses. "Are we here? How long did I sleep for?"

Her mother smiled. "We arrived about twenty minutes ago. You slept basically the whole way here." She told her before glancing behind her and back to look at Jen again. "Your fathers waiting for you."

Jen turned towards the window of the car to look at the light streaming through the door of one of the houses, and saw her father leaning on the door frame. She glanced back at her mum and sighed, letting her hand rest on the door handle. _It won't be that bad._ She told herself mentally, only hoping that what she had told herself would be true. Her hand lingered on the car door longer than she intended, willing herself to have a positive mindset on her new home life. It would be hard, but she wanted to keep telling herself that she could do it.

"I'll get your bags honey."

Jen looked up at her mother and smiled slightly, watching as her lips smiled back. "I'm going to miss you." She said before latching her arms around her mothers tall frame, and digging her head into the crook of her neck.

"I'm going to miss you too."

Jen pulled away slightly and saw the glint of a tear roll down the side of her mothers cheek. She smiled again and squeezed her mother tightly, wishing she didn't have to leave. "I want you to call me every week, okay? Let me know how things are going."

Jen turned back and waved one last time, watching her mother smile, before blowing her a kiss goodbye and mouthing the words 'I love you' as the headlights of her car blinked as she drove off down the street. Jen took a deep breath and kept her eyes focused on the dark street for a moment more. She could feel her fathers eyes stabbing into her and turned on her heels to meet him face to face. His warm brown eyes were fixated on her intently, and Jen tilted her head to the side awkwardly. "Hi dad." She mumbled slowly, waiting for him to return the gesture, but to her surprise, he stood there and looked at her for a while longer before taking her into his arms and squeezing her tightly.

"I've missed you so much Jen." He spoke softly. "I'm so happy you're here."

Jen lifted her hand and gave him an awkward pat on the back. It had been years since she had seen her father in person, he would call for her birthday and Christmas, and the odd gift was sent here and there, but other than that, their relationship had been pretty mute. "I've...missed you too." She uttered, finding it hard to give the same kind of affection he was giving her. She was stiff in his arms and when he pulled away, she bit her lip slightly and looked at her feet.

"You've grown up so much."

Jen couldn't find her tongue, and stifled a small chuckle. "Well it has been a few years since you've seen me." She said, looking up and sighing again as she reached for her bags, only to stop her hand short.

"I'll get those, you go inside and make yourself comfortable." He father chimed.

Jen nodded softly and stepped inside the house. Her eyes scanned the room, she was impressed. The house was lovely inside, warm and cosy, but nothing like her childhood home. The living room was filled with stylish furniture and a big fireplace, and smelt of cinnamon spice. Her eyes then made their way over to the kitchen, which opened into the living room, with a large granite bench accompanied by silver stools. A large wooden staircase descended into the middle of both rooms, she willed herself over to it and her eyes caught sight of the various pictures hanging on the wall. They were family pictures, of her mother and father standing together, smiling joyfully, and in her mothers arms, a little baby. It was her. Jen smiled slightly, before her fathers footsteps were heard from behind her. She turned to look at him. "You still have the pictures of mum hanging up?"

He looked down slightly, and cleared his throat. "Yeah. I couldn't bring myself to put them away, they're too special. There's just something about them."

Jen pursed her lips together and looked at the picture again. "Do you still...love her?" She asked, her eyes shooting back over to her fathers. She watched as his warm eyes glanced over to the picture, before he sighed and pushed past her slightly to walk up the stairs.

"Come on, let me show you your room." He spoke, changing the subject quickly.

Jen's eyebrows twisted slightly and she turned to follow him, surprised by the way her father had looked at the picture of her mother. She could tell that it was a fragile subject, and couldn't help but wonder if he still loved her. After all, only time would tell. Jen reached the top of the stairs in no time and followed her father down the hallway and to the last door, which was already opened. She stepped into the room, past her father and looked around slightly. The walls were bathed in a light blue, and a small chandelier draped down in the centre of the ceiling. There was a double bed against the right side of the room, covered in a white duvet, with matching pillows. A built in wardrobe with mirrored doors sat against the left side of the room, and a small desk with shelves above. But what caught her attention most, was the window positioned directly across from where she was standing at the door. Jen pushed past her father softly and stopped to look out the window, darkness engulfing the outside world. She reached up with her hand and let it rest gently on the glass, watching it fog up as she breathed softly.

"So...what do you think?"

Jen turned to look at her father over her shoulder, a small smile twisting onto her features. "It's great." She said clearing her throat, as an unbearable silence filled the room. Jen pursed her lips together and pushed a stray strand of hair that had fallen behind her ear. "Well...I think I might get some sleep." Silence. She wasn't sure how long it would be before things were normal again. "I'm a little tired from the trip."

Her father nodded quickly, and his hand let go of the bags he was holding, gently putting them onto the floor. "Sure thing...um, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Jen raised her eyebrows and faked a quick smile. "Yeah."

"Well...goodnight."

"Night."

Her lips parted, and she let out a small sigh as the door was closed softly. "It'll be better tomorrow." She whispered, as her body flopped onto the double bed with another sigh. _Things will be better tomorrow._

Sunlight streamed through the open window, radiating off the walls, and bouncing onto Jen's sleepy face. It warmed her skin, and she kept her eyes closed for a few more moments, bathing in the suns warmth. She rolled onto her side to face the wall and pryed her eyes open slightly, a yawn slipping from her lips. Mornings were a bitch. Especially mornings where you have to wake up to a totally different life, in a totally different town with totally different people. Jen was trying hard to keep herself positive, but part of her didn't want to be positive. She wasn't ready to face her father. Part of her wanted to scream, she wanted to stay in bed without facing the day and what it would bring for her, but without thinking twice, she willed herself to stand. She needed to take her new life and face it, head on. Jen yawned again, and her eyes caught sight of the view from her window, and that was when she gasped. There was a beautifully lush green garden staring straight back up at her, complete with trimmed hedges and white picketed fences. The garden was filled with roses, tulips, and sunflowers, and a big jacaranda tree shaded half of the garden with its enormous flowering branches. She knew her father had always taken gardening up as a hobby, but this was just astounding to her. It was almost magical.

Jen crept quietly down the stairs, being as soft footed as she could but something alerted her senses and forced her mind to reminisce with memories. She could smell hot pancakes, their delicious scent wafting up to where she was standing on the staircase. She could see her, her mother and her father sitting together at the table, laughing and she remembered her mothers homemade sweet maple syrup, sitting in a jug, ready to be doused generously over the pancakes. The memory was so vivid in her mind, that she almost had to stop and pinch herself to snap out of it, but her fathers voice bellowing gently from the kitchen caused her mind to flash back to reality.

"Jen? Are you awake?"

Jen cleared her throat and let go of the railing she was gripping onto to answer. "Yeah. I'll be down in a minute." She called, tiptoeing her way down the stair case and into the kitchen, where she caught sight of her father pilling a generous amount of pancakes onto two plates. Jen smiled softly and made her way to one of the silver stools poking out from underneath the bench. "Dad..." She said, chuckling under her breath. "You didn't have to do this."

She watched silently, the smile still on her lips, as her father made his way over to sit beside her, juggling some maple syrup in his hand. He looked up and smiled back, a chuckle slipping from the back of his own throat. "Not as good as your mothers but it does the trick." He told her, before pouring a generous amount on top of the stack. "How'd you sleep?" He asked and Jen looked up at him, chewing a mouthful of food.

"Good." She smiled, as she swallowed her mouthful. "I didn't notice how beautiful the garden was before this morning when I looked out the window."

Her father cocked an eyebrow at her slowly. "You like it?"

"It's amazing."

Her father smiled, and the two of them went back to eating. The air was still tense and awkward between them, but somehow, it had become a bit more comfortable to bare. "I have another thing to show you...an early birthday present." He said, breaking the air and Jen turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye. She'd almost forgotten that she'd be turning eighteen in a few weeks. Funnily enough, with all the things going on in her life, it must have all but slipped her mind. "I was going to wait until your actual birthday, but I thought you'd need it, seeming that you'll need a way to school and back.." He chirped, giving her a small smile.

Jen cocked an eyebrow at him and opened her mouth to speak. "W-what? What do you mean?"

"You'll see. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

Jen's eyes flickered back over to her half eaten stack of pancakes, her mind whirling with thoughts. Could it be a car? _No way._


	2. Chapter 2 - Chevy Red

**_A/N- Hey guys! Second update is here! I hope that all of you who are reading this are enjoying what I've written so far. I'm going to try and update on a regular basis, it all depends on when the chapter is ready. Anyhow, just wanted to say a special thanks to all of you who have left a review and followed, loving the support! Enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated. P.S I'm still trying to figure out how to break the paragraphs when it's a different moment, so bare with me._**

"You're not peaking are you?"

"How can I when your hands are covering my eyes?" Jen was doing her best not to trip on any rouge objects around her feet, as her father led her into what she assumed was the garage. Her mind was still whirling with thoughts at what her father had meant by the 'surprise' he had for her over breakfast. There was no way he had gotten her a car, as if. Firstly, she didn't even have a licence yet, and secondly, her father might have had a good job that paid the bills and more, but to buy your child a car was just absurd. But that didn't stop her mind from wandering, and as she thought about the 'what ifs' and 'maybes', her fathers hands cleared the way for her eyes and she all but gasped. "No. Way." She gawked, her lips spreading into a grin. And her smile must have been contagious, because when she looked over at her father, he was beaming back at her. Jen let her eyes roam back over to the middle of the garage and she shook her head. "This can't be real." A brand, spanking new, dark red Chevy sat in the middle of the garage, the colour of the hood, cherry red, gleamed up at her, all shiny and new. Jen shook her head again and turned to look at her father. She couldn't even begin to comprehend on how to thank him for such a gesture. No words could describe the happiness that filled her heart. "Dad...I..." She began, but before anything else could be said, her father simply put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Jen stiffened for a moment, but when she caught another glimpse of the car out of the corner of her eye, she softened and found herself clinging onto her father. "Thankyou." She whispered. "Thankyou so much. I don't know how I'm ever going to repa-"

The rumble of her fathers voice was felt as he spoke, and Jen found herself quieting to listen at what he said. "You don't ever have to repay me Jen, don't ever think you have to repay me for this, or anything for that matter. Being able to have you here now is all I'll ever need. And it's the least I could do considering all the times I wasn't there for you." He pulled back and peered down at Jen's face, his hands resting on her shoulders, a smile dancing onto his features. "Plus, it's an early birthday present."

Jen pouted softly and looked up at him. Maybe staying here wouldn't be as bad as she thought it would. Maybe there was a chance for her and her father to rekindle their relationship after all the years of him not being around.

"Well? Are you going to take her for a spin?"

Jen grinned madly and let her arms fall from her father. Her feet shuffled along the floor of the garage before she reached the drivers side. The interior was beautiful and the smell of new leather wafted into her nose. She couldn't find the words to thank her father enough for the gift he had given her, and instead it warmed her heart a million times over. She found the handle and pulled it open as well as the door, before slipping inside and sliding herself down onto the leather seat. Her hands went straight to the steering wheel, and she smiled again, eyes darting over to catch her fathers gleaming face. Jen took a deep breath and her fingers found the key. The rumble of the engine lit a fire inside of her and the excitement building was becoming too hard to contain. She bit her lip and flicked the car into gear, letting the car roll down the driveway and onto the street. Jen couldn't keep the smile off her face and she whizzed down the tar, and thought that it would be a good idea to check out what Castle Rock had to offer.

Jen found that Castle Rock wasn't as interesting as she had thought it would be, and her drive had proved so. Apart from the few corner stores and bars, Castle Rock hadn't much to offer as far as fun went. It was as any other small town, dull and boring, but the people within it seemed to be snobby and stuck up, as she had gathered from the stares she and her car received. It didn't bother her in the slightest, she only wondered how people made a living in such a small town. Jen flicked the car into third gear and sped up a little before her eye caught sight of a small corner shop and it was only then that she realised how quenched she was from all the driving she had done. She cut the engine as she pulled up onto the curb and hopped out of the car, carrying her feet over to the front door. The bell rang as her hand pushed it open, and she took a glance around the store. Shelves were packed with the odd groceries and little nicknacks, and a small glass refrigerator sat in the corner. She made her way over and clicked her tongue at the selection of drinks, before finally deciding on a cold Pepsi.

"Can I help you sweetheart?"

Jens head shot up and she caught sight of the lady behind the counter. She was small and plump, with a dark brown wavy bob framing her head like a cloud. She didn't look all that old but the stray grey hairs poking through indicated otherwise. "Oh yeah, I'll just grab this Pepsi please." She said placing the bottle of fizzy bubbles down onto the counter. The lady smiled widely, before ringing up the purchase on the register.

"That's just ten cents please." She said watching as Jen dropped the money into her hand. She glanced at Jen again just as curiosity got the best of her. "Don't mind me being nosy darling, but are you new? I've never seen you around here before."

Jen took the bottle off the counter and cracked open the Pepsi as she nodded. "I just arrived here yesterday." She said between gulps of her drink. "I'm staying with my dad."

The lady raised her eyebrows slightly and nodded. "Well welcome to Castle Rock. Are you liking it so far?" She asked.

"It's...okay I guess. I haven't really seen much of anything yet." Jen smiled.

"Oh well I'm sure you warm up to it soon enough. It might be a small town but it's a nice town. It's respectable, just keep your eye out for the few hoodlums that lurk around here, poor Dr Pines the towns doctor is always dealing with kids coming in with broken noses and bloodied fists."

Jen was intrigued, she was intrigued about what the woman was talking about. She was indeed talking about her father, that was pretty obvious, he was the only doctor in Castle Rock. But what she said next caught her by surprise. "It's a shame what happened to his marriage, Dr Pines. I heard his wife left him for another, quite inappropriate I think. Marriage is supposed to be forever. Last I heard, his daughter was to blame for it all. I heard she is quite the little brat. Anyway, it's not really any of my business. You have a good day now sweetheart."

Jen was baffled. News had already traveled about her and her family's problems. Go figure. She wondered if her dad had been talking, or if it was just the town making assumptions they had no right to make. Whatever it was, Jen gave the woman a tight lipped smile and turned on her heels to walk out of the door and back to the car, her mind still whirling with thoughts. Jen huffed softly and shook her head only to raise it again at the sound of a mans voice.

"This your ride?"

Jen looked up and caught sight of two men, one with brown slicked back hair and the other, a scrawny blonde who's mouth curled up ever so slightly when she caught his eye, walking towards her. "I-, yeah it is." She said before straightening her shoulders a little.

The brown haired boy let his eyes drift over the car and his hand reached up to pluck a cigarette from behind his ear. "What's a little girl like you doing with a car like that?"

Jen scoffed. "I could ask you the same thing." She said, her eyes shooting over to the scrawny blonde at his side. He barely reached his friends shoulder in height and was half his width. They both looked older than her, but not by much. Maybe only two or three years difference.

The blonde frowned. "Someone as small as you shouldn't make such big comments, sweetheart. You might not be able to handle the repercussions."

Jen raised her eyebrows as if challenging the two boys and laughed. "And someone of your stature shouldn't threaten someone half their size, maybe your egos getting the best of you." She realised then that these kind of boys might just be the 'hoodlums' the lady in the corner store was referring to. It wasn't like she'd never dealt with those types of boys before, back when she lived in New York with her mother, she'd had many a run in with the arrogant bad boy types. The ones who bit off more than they could chew. Living in New York had thickened her skin, and she wasn't about to let two arrogant, egotistic guys who thought that they could belittle her get under her skin.

"Hey!-"

"Shut up Charlie."

Jen cast a glance over at the brown haired boy again, watching his eyes fixate on her as he took drags from his cigarette, laughter bellowing out of him like a hyena. Jen gathered herself and cleared her throat. "Well, this has been interesting but I think I'm going to leave you two to patch up your bruised egos." Jen made her way over to the drivers side and shook her head slightly, wincing as the blonde called after her.

"And we'll leave you to go home and swoon over us sweetheart!"

Jen slammed the door of the car slightly and gunned the engine. "In your dreams, jackass." She mumbled, before speeding off down the street.

Jen pulled into the driveway and cut the car engine. She still couldn't make ends meet with those two boys she'd met in front of the corner store. It might have been just her, but everyone so far seemed to have a silver spoon up their ass. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the girls at her school were going to be like. Jen shook her head to rid the thoughts and walked heel to toe up the driveway and to the front door, wanting to seek refuge from the hot afternoon sun that seemed to beam down violently onto her. It was only Friday, so she had a few more days to relax before she started her first day in what she already knew was going to be hell. (Aka School)

"Hey dad, I'm home." She called as she came into the hallway, and after receiving no response, she made her way further into the house and called out again. "Dad?"

"Out in the garden honey!"

Jen followed pursuit of her fathers voice and found him out the back, just like he had said, tending to the ever so luscious garden. She still marvelled over how beautiful it was. The way the jacaranda tree bathed the yard in shade, and how the sunflowers seemed to beam up at the sky. The grass was immaculate and just the perfect height, short enough to manage but just long enough so that she could dig her toes into it. She would never get over the smell, fresh and calming. She loved the way it brought back memories of her seeking refuge when she was little, and hiding underneath the tulips.

"How was your drive?"

Jen looked up from watching her toes dig into the grass, to see her father standing across from her, one arm draped over the rake he had, and the other wiping the sweat from his forehead. She herself could feel her own beads of sweat forming beneath her hair line and put her hand underneath her hair to wipe at them. "It was lovely." She told him, taking a glance back down to the grass. "Although, it might just be me, but everyone I've met so far seems to have a silver spoon up there ass or something."

Her father rumbled with laughter and she looked up again to laugh along with him. "Yep, you'll find that with a lot of people here. Believe me." He said, before focusing back on raking up the violet blooms of flowers that had fallen from the jacaranda tree.

Jen watched him take the flowers into a pile and had the sudden urge to tell him about what the lady in the corner store had told her, but found her tongue short of words and figured she would tell him another time. Not important, she told herself. She was enjoying digging her toes into the grass and listening to the blue birds chirp. "What's for dinner?" She asked casually, feeling a sudden hunger creep over her.

"Shit. I forgot about dinner. Sorry honey."

Jen smiled. "It's alright, I'll go and see what there is, maybe I can whip something up."

Her father's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief. "You can cook?"

Jen laughed. "Of course! I use to cook for myself a lot when mum was away at work. I can make a mean ass chicken casserole. You just wait and see."

Two healthy servings of kick ass chicken casserole later, Jen found herself, tea towel in hand, next to her father lending a hand with the dishes. Darkness had begun to engulf the world outside, cloaking everything in black, leaving only splashes of orange and pink above the horizon and the sound of crickets chirping on the soft breeze. Jen took the plate from her father and set the tea towel to work, silently observing the soapy bubbles as they absorbed into the material.

"You ready for school?"

Jen looked up at her father, having broken the silence and raised her eyebrows. "Not nearly." She stated, before setting the plate down and leaning on the counter beside him. "It's my last year, but it doesn't even feel like it. It's gone so fast."

"How was school in New York?" He asked curiously.

Jen sighed. "It was just like any other school I guess, but there was a lot more students there. I think it'll be nice going to a smaller school for the last year."

"Oregon High is a good school." Her father said, nodding slowly as his eyes darted out the window. "Small...but it's respectable enough."

Jen smiled, and as the small talk between them subsided, she found her curiosity creeping up again. Jen set the dish in her hand down on the counter and turned so she could rest her weight on the bench behind her. "Hey dad?" She uttered, taking a deep breath.

His eyes shot up suddenly, a small smile spreading across his face. "Yeah?"

"Do you think you'd still be in New York if you didn't get the offer for a job here? Y'know, with mum and I?"

The smile on his face faltered slightly and he sighed deeply. "Jen, I tried so hard to keep the relationship between your mum and I going, even after..." Jen's fathers eyes darted out the window and he shook his head slightly. Even though it had been years since he'd left New York, the pain was still there, and it was deep. "Even after what happened. I just, I took the job here because I couldn't stay in New York anymore, knowing that your mum was off with..." His voice trailed off and he turned to lean on the counter softly. "I'm not trying to bag out your mother or anything, but towards the end, there was just nothing there anymore, I couldn't see any reason to stay."

Jen looked down softly. The last part hurt a little but she didn't show it. Instead, she pursed her lips tightly and turned back to the sink. Her eyes drifted down to the plug hole and she sighed. "Plus, I thought it was good for me to give you the space to form your own opinion about it."

Jen faked a smile. It was partly the right thing to do on her father's end. He'd never interfered with her life after he'd left. She was somewhat glad he was that kind of father, if a father at all. He kept his distance most of the time, calling every so often to check on 'how she was doing'. But being the child of a divorced couple wasn't all it was cooped up to be. It was hard. She'd spent so much time dealing with people who treated her like she was a broken thing, and maybe she was. But her skin was thicker than it seemed.

At the time, she hadn't really understood why her parents went their separate ways, and being a little girl was partly the reason why. But now, at the age of seventeen going on eighteen, it made a lot more sense. Sometimes certain people when they're put together, don't work. Love can cloud a persons faults, until that love no longer exists. But even though her father left when he did, Jen still wished she'd had a father growing up, a proper father, not one that just called every now and then, and sent gifts months overdue for birthdays and Christmas'. She wished she'd grown up with a father who was physically there, and it was a harsh reality, but that was something she could never forgive him for no matter how selfish it seemed. She had to give her mother credit though, raising her as a single parent with a full time job. Jen had dreaded leaving New York to live with her father, but she saw it as an opportunity to smooth things over with him, to make up for all those years he wasn't there. She only hoped she could, and she hoped that her father saw it as an opportunity for his own sake as well.

 ** _A/N - I thought I'd delve into Jen's background a little for this chapter, just to set the tone on her and her father's relationship a little more. Next few chapters will get a little more interesting (I hope) setting up for Ace to come into the scene. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and it wasn't too boring. See you guys for the next update!_**


End file.
